


warm me up (with your christmas love)

by Dont_Stop_Larry



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Anne has a husband but not des and not robin so his name is wayne, Cute, First Kiss, M/M, One Shot, Sorry Not Sorry, friends to boyfriends, so this was supposed to be for christmas but here we are, this is just fluff fluff fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-02
Updated: 2017-03-02
Packaged: 2018-09-27 22:48:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10055348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dont_Stop_Larry/pseuds/Dont_Stop_Larry
Summary: Okay, but all I can picture is the fact that before she met Robyn, Anne was married to a man who ran a pub and the two of them, Harry, and Gemma all lived above it. Now picture tiny, fluffy-haired 15 year old Harry developing a huge crush on the pixieish 17 year old Louis, who just got a job there, pulling beers…or the cute Christmas Love story involving hiding under a bar, mistletoe, and coming out.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys, it's me again! I'm so glad to have finally finished this, it was supposed to be done for Christmas but I got busier than I expected. The title is from a Justin Bieber song (not a fan, but the words fit the story, so there you go). Hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Lxx
> 
> Prompt sent to me by @youngandmadeof
> 
> Title help from @larrycaring
> 
> Minor edits by @happilymissy

“Harry, c’mon! Mum said we had to be downstairs ten minutes ago!”

                Harry heard Gemma’s shouts, but he was in the middle of an incredibly interesting book, and besides, he was very content with not getting out of his warm cocoon of blankets.

                Gemma’s head poked around the corner and she rolled her eyes at Harry. “For the love of god, Haz, do you want Mum to kill us? We have to go greet the new employees.”

                “Why do we have to do this every time?” Harry sighed, carefully marking his page and struggling to find an opening in the blankets. “It’s not like any of them care that the owner has two step-kids.”

                “Beats me, but I’d rather not have Wayne yell at us again for _ruining his reputation_.” Gemma blew her bangs out of her face and reached her hand towards Harry, a simpering smile on her face. “Come along, brother dear.”

                Harry batted her hand away and shoved her playfully, and both of them headed for the stairs. As soon as they opened the door to them, the smell of alcohol and smoke and way too much perfume hit them, and Harry choked subtly. He was inwardly thankful that his mum always had gingerbread candles lit in the apartment, because smelling this all the time would be a nightmare.

                He hurried down the stairs after Gemma, not bothering to fix his mussed up hair or his wrinkled shirt. The new employees probably wouldn’t pay them any attention anyway, so it didn’t really matter what he looked like. Besides, Wayne never hired any cute boys, and if he did, they were way too old to glance twice at short, fluffy-haired, 15 year old Harry Styles.

                “Finally! What took you two so long?”

                Harry tried to duck out of the way as his mother reached for him, but he wasn’t quick enough, and he stood, disgruntled, as his mum ran her fingers through his hair in an attempt to tame it.

                “Harry, you have to at least try to look like you want to be here,” Anne chastised, and Gemma gave him a knowing look, but Harry hadn’t been about to complain. His mum had had a hard life and was still getting adjusted to life without his dad, even though she was married to Wayne. He didn’t want to cause any more trouble.

                “Sorry, Mum,” he mumbled, falling into position next to Gemma as Wayne rallied up all of the new employees from their various jobs.

                It wasn’t too busy at this time of day, but each member of the staff always had something to do – Wayne made sure of that. He wanted to pay them for working, not for standing around and talking. Harry watched as people in the customary green shirt and Christmas hat (the holiday uniform for the employees) came around the counter and clumped together. Some looked nervous, some looked bored, and some just didn’t seem to care either way. Harry scanned them, not really impressed, but then his eyes landed on the boy near the far left of the group of people, and his jaw dropped a little.

                This boy was – and there was no other word for it – pretty. He had soft, caramel colored hair that fell in a gentle fringe across his forehead, and his cheekbones were so sharp that Harry was pretty sure they could cut glass. The boy looked up for a moment, fixing his fringe, and Harry suddenly lost the ability to breathe. His eyes were the brightest shade of blue, piercing through the dim light of the pub. Harry started tugging at his shirt and brushing his hair out of his eyes, suddenly very self-conscious about the way he looked.

                Gemma nudged him, and he jumped slightly. She gave him the weirdest look and then continued to listen to _____, who was introducing everyone to them.

                “And this is George over here, and Stan right next to him. And there’s our newest recruit, Louis. How are ya, Louis?”

                “Very good, thank you, sir,” Louis replied formally, and Harry wanted to melt into the floor. The boy, Louis, had the loveliest voice: raspy and a bit higher than Harry had expected, but also soft and with a very strong Yorkshire accent. Harry could feel his heart hammering inside his chest; he had never felt like this around anyone before.

                “That’s good to hear. Louis here will be pulling beers for us during the week. And this is my family.”       

                Wayne gestured behind him and Anne stepped forward, smiling graciously.

                “Hello everyone, I’m Anne, Wayne’s wife, and if you have any questions, I’m sure I’ll be able to answer them for you if I’m around.” Anne turned and smiled at Harry and Gemma, and Gemma spoke up next. Harry knew she was speaking, but he didn’t hear a word she said, because his eyes were fixed on Louis again. Louis was watching Gemma with rapt attention, and Harry felt a small sinking sensation inside him. Of course, the most attractive boy that Wayne had ever hired in the history of the world, would be straight. Not that Harry would be able to openly flirt with him or even date him, but still, it was disappointing.

                Gemma nudged him again, and he realized it was his turn to speak. He opened his mouth to say his name, and then Louis’ eyes fell on him, and he found himself lost for words.

                “Harry…” Gemma hissed, and Harry composed himself quickly, trying not to be so obviously flustered by Louis.

                “M’Harry. Nice to meet you all.”

                Harry kept his gaze trained on the floor, but he could almost feel Louis’ eyes drilling holes in him as Wayne gave them instructions and sent them back off to work. Harry took a deep breath and turned around to follow Gemma back to the apartment when someone lay a hand on his arm. He turned to see who it was and his whole arm went numb as he looked up into a pair of bright blue eyes.

                “Hey…Harry, wasn’t it?” Louis asked, and Harry could only nod as he tried not to stare too much. Louis was even prettier up close. “I’m Louis. Love that book series, by the way. Never got to finish it.”

                Harry hadn’t even realized that he was still holding it, but he looked down, suddenly forgetting what he was reading. The battered cover of _Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone_ stared back at him.

“I…umm, I’ve got it upstairs, you know, the whole series…if you wanted to finish it sometime,” Harry heard himself blurt out, immediately hating how hopeful he sounded. But to his surprise, Louis beamed at him, his eyes crinkling.

                “I’d love that! Gotta get back to work, though. See you around, then, Harold.”

                “Just Harry, actually,” Harry said quietly, and Louis let out a small laugh. Harry’s heart may have skipped a beat at the sound.

                “You look more like a Harold to me. Bye, then!”

                Harry watched Louis walk away, and his eyes landed, quite on accident, on Louis’ bum. Harry’s face got redder but he couldn’t look away. That was, at least until Louis tuned the corner and was out of Harry’s sight. Harry stood in shock for at least a minute before remembering that he wasn’t supposed to be downstairs anyway, considering he was underage, and he hurried for the stairs, wanting to get back to his blankets and his book. When he finally made it back upstairs, his mum was in the kitchen starting on dinner, and Gemma was helping. Gemma looked up as Harry came in and raised her eyebrows at him. Harry blushed and avoided her, hurrying to his room to avoid her. The last thing he needed was her outing him to his mum.

                Harry knew that his mum wouldn’t care whether or not he liked boys, but he was still having trouble actually telling her. Gemma was the only one that knew, and though Harry knew she would never do something like that to him, he always had that fear in the back of his mind. He wasn’t ashamed of who he was, not at all, but he wanted to tell people on his own terms, not on anyone else’s.

                Harry read until Anne called him for dinner, and they had nice normal conversations about their days and what went on. Harry participated as usual, but his mind was completely unfocused. Louis kept popping into it, and even as he lay down to sleep that night, Louis’ blue eyes would not go away. He was, as the adults would say, royally fucked.

~

                Over the next two weeks, Harry didn’t spend much time down in the shop, but when he was down there, he was always trying not to stare at Louis.

                Louis was just…always happy. No matter who was ordering or how rude they were, Louis always had a smile on his face. He always said sir or ma’am to every customer, and he always said thank you as each customer left. He was easily the most likable person Wayne had ever hired, and everyone around Harry seemed to agree.

                The thing Harry didn’t like, however, was how flirty Louis was. Maybe it was just his personality, but he was always making the girls giggle at some stupid joke, and it made Harry’s stomach twist with jealousy. He didn’t have any right to be jealous, however, and that drove him crazy. He had spoken to Louis only once, if he could even call that speaking, and they weren’t even remotely friends. So why did Harry’s stomach swoop every time Louis smiled or laughed or basically did anything?

                “So, what do you think of Louis?” Anne asked him at dinner that night, and Harry choked on his pasta, trying his best to seem unconcerned.

                “Umm,” Harry cleared his throat and wiped at his streaming eyes, ignoring the look that Gemma was giving him. “I think he’s really good at what he does. He’s very polite and a hard worker, as far as I’ve seen.”

                “I think you’re absolutely right, Harry. He’s one of the best, and he’s so young too. Only 17 or summat. Was thinking of giving him a promotion,” Wayne mused, and Harry wasn’t exactly sure what to say to that, so he just kept quiet, a thousand ideas running through his head. Did a promotion mean that Louis would be there more often? That Harry might get to speak to him, maybe? Strike up a real conversation, once he stopped staring at Louis’ magnificent ass?

                The sudden movement of chairs brought Harry out of his thoughts. The rest of the family was getting up to put their plates in the sink, and Harry had apparently been sitting there, not paying any attention, for a good five minutes or so. He blushed in spite of himself and took his plate to the sink, washing it off quickly before heading back to his room.

                He was just curling up in his chair with the second Harry Potter book (he was determined to get through the whole series before the end of his winter break) when Gemma popped her head around the door, knocking softly. Harry motioned for her to come in and he sat up, wondering what she could possibly want.

                “Spill,” she said once she was settled on the bed, and Harry looked at her, confused.

                “Spill…what?”

                “Oh, come on, Harry! I know you well enough to know when you have a crush, so just tell me all about Louis, would you?”

                Harry’s eyes widened and he looked over at his door, relieved when he saw that it was shut tightly. Gemma rolled her eyes.

                “Like I’d leave the door open while asking you about a boy. I’m not that mean. Now just tell me about him, would you? You’re bursting to talk to someone, why not me?”

                Harry considered his options, but his need to talk about Louis overtook every other thought in his mind, and he couldn’t stop himself.

                “God, Gems, I don’t know what to do! I’ve spoken to him once since he’s worked here but I can’t get him out of my head. He’s got everything anyone could ever dream of…the eyes, the hair, the body, the voice, the smile…I’m literally fucked.”

                “Bet you’d be ok with that, wouldn’t you?” Gemma mumbled, and Harry felt the color drain from his face.

                “Gemma!” He threw a pillow at her, which she dodged easily.

                “Just kidding, calm down. But seriously, what you’re describing is normal. It’s called a crush, if you weren’t aware. Everyone has them. Just wait for a few more weeks and it will go away, I promise. Just hang in there, alright? And while you’re at it, just go talk to him. Be his friend. That’s a lot better than stalking him.”

                Harry wanted to protest, but Gemma had already left. Harry picked up the discarded pillow and groaned into it as he started to ready himself for bed. He’d had enough for one night.

~

                Gemma was wrong … Harry’s ‘crush’ did not go away. In fact, if Harry were being quite honest with himself, it was only getting worse, and there was nothing he could do about it. All he could think about from the moment he woke up till the moment he went to sleep was how he was going to talk to Louis again, what they would talk about, what it would be like to kiss Louis, what Louis looked like naked … he just couldn’t help it. He had wanked more times in the week since his talk with Gemma than he cared to admit, even to himself.

                With about two more weeks until Christmas, meaning almost four weeks of vacation time, Harry was starting to get antsy. He wanted to go outside, he wanted to play in the snow. He just wanted to be out of the confines of their tiny apartment. Wayne always acted very concerned about Harry’s and Gemma’s well-being, and wanted them to stay safely inside. The bar wasn’t exactly in the best part of town, and any venture outside could mean trouble. But Harry was used to it. It had been this way ever since his mum and Wayne had gotten married a year ago. He knew where to escape to when he really truly needed to be away from everything, and tonight was one of those nights.

                He had been minding his business and absently thinking of watching a movie on his laptop when the yelling started. He knew it was coming from his mum and Wayne’s room, and he knew from past arguments that it would go on for hours. He scooped up the fourth Harry Potter book (He was almost halfway through it now) and went quietly down the stairs and into the bar. He waited until no one was looking and slipped behind the counter, settling himself down on the pillow he had hidden directly under the bar for such situations. No one ever bothered him, and for some reason, no one ever saw him. He was safe here.

                He read for a while, blocking out all the noise and the music as he engrossed himself in the first task of the Triwizard Tournament. When at last he got uncomfortable, he stretched his legs out, hoping to regain the feeling in his numb feet. There was a sudden yelp and a crash as someone tripped over Harry’s feet and glass shattered on the floor. Harry peeked his head out and saw Louis sprawled on the floor, looking confused and very embarrassed for having just fallen on his face in front of customers.

                “Oh my god …” Harry whispered to himself, hoping Louis wouldn’t notice him if he crawled quickly back underneath the bar. He was wrong. As he drew his legs back in, Louis turned to get up and caught his eye. He sat there for a moment, staring at Harry, and Harry looked away, sure that his face was redder than Louis’, and hastily opened his book, pretending like nothing had happened.

                He listened, rather than watched, as Louis pulled himself to his feet and went to get a broom to sweep up his mess. Harry watched his Vans-clad feet walk back and forth as he swept and mopped and remade the drinks that Harry had caused him to drop. When at last that was all said and done, the quiet murmuring above him disappeared, and a general lull of small talk became more distant. Harry curled in on himself, praying that Louis would just walk away and keep giving out drinks, but his luck was terrible tonight. Louis’ feet stopped right in front of his hiding place and his knees bent.

                Harry looked out at Louis’ bright blue eyes and the slight smile that was still on his face despite what had just happened.

                “Hiding from the world, I see?” he asked, and Harry didn’t say anything. He wanted to apologize, say at least something to let Louis know how horrible he felt, but Louis’ gaze and voice rendered him speechless.

                “So … was it just wrong place, wrong time, or did you mean to make me look like a complete ass in front of customers?”

                Louis didn’t sound angry, but it still made Harry feel only worse than he had before.

                “I … I’m s-sorry,” Harry stuttered. “I’m so fucking sorry, I didn’t know you were coming and I … I didn’t mean it, I swear …”

                Louis smiled and put his hand on Harry’s knee, which effectively shut up his rambling apology. “It’s alright, mate, I’m not mad at you. I’m more curious as to why you’re hiding under the counter of a bar when you’re not even old enough to enter most bars.”

                Harry’s mouth dropped open in surprise and then he shut it quickly, not wanting to look like an idiot. “How do you know how old I am?”

                “Wayne likes to talk on our dead nights. Told me quite a bit about his _introverted stepson_ ,” Louis shrugged. Harry was even more embarrassed now, and he looked away from Louis, hoping that Louis would take a hint and just leave him alone

                _But you wanted to talk to him … now’s your chance_ , he thought to himself. This was so not how he had pictured his next discussion with Louis.

                “I can go, then. I’m sorry I got in your way,” Harry mumbled, just wanting to go hide in his room and forget this ever happened. He slid out from under the bar and gasped in pain as something sharp pierced his palm. He looked down to see a sizable sliver of glass sticking out of the middle of his hand, blood oozing around the cut.

                “Oh, shit, I missed some! Harry, I’m so sorry,” Louis gasped, tossing a rag to Harry to hold to his hand. “I’ll get a first aid kit.”

                Louis ran away towards the employee locker room area and Harry plucked the glass out of his hand gingerly, wincing as he did so, and then bound his hand in the wet rag until Louis returned, a red box in his hand.

                “Harry, I … I don’t even know what to say …” Louis stumbled over his words as he pulled out an alcohol wipe and a Band-Aid. He peeled the rag back from Harry’s hand and turned faintly green at the sight of the cut, though Harry didn’t seem to think that it was that bad.

                “Guess we’re even now, yeah?” Harry muttered, more to himself than to Louis, but Louis laughed and started cleaning the wound.

                “Yeah, Harold, I guess we are.”

                They sat there for a few more minutes as Louis bandaged up Harry’s hand, and then they just looked at each other for a minute. Louis, it seemed, couldn’t look away, or maybe that’s just the way he was with everyone, and Harry was overreacting.

                “All done …” Louis breathed, and Harry’s own breath caught in his throat. The tone of Louis’ voice had changed. It was still high and raspy, but now it was super soft, and almost unsure sounding. Harry had enough sense in his mind to pull his hand away and he stood up, clutching his book and wanting to get away from here before he did something stupid, like kiss Louis in front of everyone, for instance.

                “Thanks … umm, I’ll see you around, then?” Harry said, again hating the hopeful sound of his request.

                “Definitely. I need someone to entertain me while I’m working, don’t I?” Louis laughed, and Harry didn’t stop smiling all the way up the stairs.

~

                And so being under the bar became a thing. In the days coming closer to Christmas, Harry would sneak down after dinner and sit under the bar in his spot, making sure not to trip Louis, and they would just talk about everything. Harry found out so many new things about Louis, and they just made him like him even more.

                Louis was a family guy. His family had always struggled a little bit and his mum was going through her second divorce, which meant that he was taking care of his sisters when he wasn’t working. He had four of them, and by the sound of it, he didn’t love anyone more than his sisters or his mum.

                Louis also loved to sing. Harry always caught a few lyrics when a good song would come on, and Louis’ singing voice was even more beautiful than his regular voice, if that was even possible.

                They talked about everything they could think of: music tastes, video games, books, everything. Harry even lent Louis the first Harry Potter book, and Louis had promised him that he would finish it before New Year’s. Being around Louis just made Harry so incredibly happy, but he knew he couldn’t keep his secret crush a secret for much longer.

                It was two nights before Christmas, a night that Harry and Louis had both dubbed “Christmas Eve Eve”, and Louis was cleaning up the bar. Harry was telling him a horrible joke, and he was laughing so hard he couldn’t even stand up straight. For some reason that was unknown to Harry, Louis loved all of his jokes, no matter how bad. So Harry had stayed up several nights looking up new ones that he hoped he hadn’t used yet. He just wanted to make Louis laugh, because the sound of his laughter made Harry’s heart leap in his chest. Someone would call it an obsession, but Harry preferred to refer to it as dedication to a good cause.

                Louis crouched down and grinned at Harry, offering his hand to him. “Time to get up, Hazza!”

                Louis had taken to finding a new nickname for Harry since Harry really didn’t like Harold. Louis had tried out tons of names, but he found his favorite when Gemma had come looking for Harry and had called him Haz. Louis had built off of that and gotten Hazza, and Harry never wanted to be called Harry ever again.

                Harry hesitated for a mere second before reaching out and taking Louis’ hand and allowing Louis to help him up. Louis pulled Harry carefully to his feet and they stood rather close to each other, observing the nearly empty bar. Harry wanted to say something, maybe even do something reckless, but he knew he shouldn’t. He didn’t want to ruin the friendship he had somehow managed to make with Louis, and he just knew that giving Louis any indication of his feelings would tear them apart. Harry knew he should move away from Louis, but he couldn’t. He liked being close to him too much.

                Louis nudged him in the ribs and nodded towards a guy at the other end of the bar. “What’s his story?”

                Harry and Louis had started playing a game where they’d spot a random person and make up an entire backstory for them. It was something to keep them occupied, and it was an excuse to be with Louis, so Harry was all too happy to do it.

                “Umm … let’s see …” Harry said slowly, observing the man carefully. He looked about 30, maybe a bit older, and he was nursing his drink, looking a bit down. “Well, he doesn’t look happy, so it was probably a bad break-up. Happened about three hours ago, and they had been together for six, maybe seven years. He’s been here since I came downstairs.”

                “Harold, that’s horrible … but pretty close to the truth, actually. I talked to him a bit before you showed up.”

                Harry nudged Louis back hard. “Cheater!”

                Louis shoved him back in retaliation and they both fell over, Harry catching himself on the counter and Louis bracing himself on either side of Harry’s body. His face was inches from Harry’s and Harry had stopped breathing. Louis’ lashes brushed his cheekbones as he blinked, and then he stood up, brushing his hands on his jeans.

                “So … my birthday is tomorrow, and I don’t have to work, so I thought maybe … never mind, it’s stupid.” Louis mumbled, trailing off into silence, but Harry was most definitely paying attention now.

                “Tomorrow’s your birthday and you waited until now to tell me? How am I supposed to find you a present in under 24 hours?”

                Louis looked at him strangely, and Harry pressed on, wanting to know what Louis wanted to ask him. “Nothing you have to say is stupid, Lou. Tell me, please.” Harry said softly, touching Louis’ fingertips with his own. It was a very bold move, one he hadn’t dared to try ever before with anyone, but in this moment, he felt like it was the only way to comfort Louis, who looked, well, uncomfortable. Louis flinched at Harry’s sudden touch, and Harry almost pulled away, his heart in his throat, but then Louis tangled his fingers with Harry’s, a relaxed smile appearing on his face.

                “Just wondered if you wanted to hang out. We can do it here, or at my place, whichever. Unless you have family plans, in which case I never asked this and I’ll see you after New Year’s.” Louis spoke very fast and his fingers squeezed Harry’s. Harry’s whole hand was tingling at Louis’ touch, and it was now twice as hard not to kiss him.

                “Yeah … Yeah of course, I’d love to. Gives me even less time to get you a present, but I’ll make it work.” Harry smiled at Louis, and Louis smiled back, his face taking on the crinkly look that it did when he was really happy. Harry had done that. He had made Louis happy.

                “Harry, what are you doing down here?”

                Harry ripped his hand away from Louis and brushed his hair behind his ear as Wayne came into view.

                “I … I, umm, I was just …” Harry said shakily, not sure what to say that wouldn’t get him or Louis into trouble. Thankfully, Louis saved the day.

                “He was passing through and I needed a bit of help back here shelving the glasses. I figured you wouldn’t mind, since Stan isn’t in tonight.”

                Wayne stared at them for a few seconds, his eyes shifting from Harry to Louis and back, and then smiled. “Of course I don’t mind. Gotta get him trained up so he can work here when he comes of age. Very good of you to help your friend, Harry. Better get upstairs. Your mum is waiting.”

                “Of course …” Harry said, starting to turn back to get his book. He leaned in and whispered into Louis’ ear, so that Wayne didn’t hear him, “See you tomorrow, Lou?”

                “I’ll pick you up round back at 7, sound good?” Louis whispered back, and Harry nodded, picking up his book and heading for the stairs up to his apartment. His cheeks were flaming red as he walked into the main room, and his mum looked up from the TV.

                “Would you look at that! Someone’s got our little Harry all flustered. So … who’s the lucky one that’s won my son’s heart, eh?”

                Gemma looked up suddenly from the couch, first at Harry and then at their mum. Harry knew what she was thinking … was he going to lie or just tell her?

                “No one you know. It’s not important, I promise. Just … just a crush,” Harry replied quickly, and Gemma looked away again. Harry headed back to his room, feeling slightly ashamed of himself. He wanted to tell his mum about Louis. Hell, he wanted to tell the whole world about wonderful, amazing, perfect, beautiful Louis Tomlinson. But he just couldn’t make himself take that step. He was scared.

                He pulled off his clothes and crawled into bed, tears in his eyes. He was so frustrated with himself. If he wasn’t ashamed, why couldn’t he just say that he had a crush on Louis? Why did he have to lie? They were alone, no Wayne to interrupt them … he should have done it. What if, by some miracle, Louis liked him, but then got mad because Harry didn’t seem proud of him?

                Harry sniffed and wiped away a few tears with the back of his hand, wishing with all his might that Louis was there with him, cuddling him to sleep.

~

                The next day, Harry couldn’t sit still. He tried everything; he took a long shower, he ate breakfast and did all his chores, he tried to read his book, and he even tried working out, which resulted in a second long shower, but he couldn’t shake his nerves. He kept trying to convince himself that it was just Louis and that it wasn’t a big deal, but he knew that it was. Louis wasn’t _just Louis_ … he was the almost man that Harry had the absolute biggest crush on, and he just knew that he was going to mess this up somehow.

                “Harry, for the love of God, would you sit still?” Gemma finally yelled at him, and Harry forced his leg to stop bouncing. He looked sheepishly over at Gemma and mumbled an apology. Gemma smiled grudgingly and looked around the room before speaking in a low voice, “I know you’re nervous, it’s ok. Just … try to relax. Louis seems to care about you, and why shouldn’t he? You’ve got the curls going for you. No one says no to those curls.”

                Harry actually smiled at that and brushed one of his longer curls behind his ear. This, of course, caused him to try and fix his hair, his hands fidgeting as he tried to make his messy fringe slightly less messy. Gemma grabbed his hands and forced him to stop. He looked at her, feeling even more nervous now than he had been a second ago.

                “Harry … breathe. Louis wouldn’t have invited you over for his birthday if he didn’t at least think of you as a close friend.”

                “I know that, but what if I do something stupid? I don’t want him to hate me … and what if …”

                “Dude, you’re going to drive yourself crazy if you keep it up with these what ifs.” Gemma looked around again and then grinned. “If it were me, I’d go for it. And if Louis truly cares for you, and for some reason doesn’t feel the same, at least you can count on him not making a big deal out of it.”

                Harry stared at his sister, not sure what to say. Usually, she wasn’t this nice, always caught up in teasing him about one thing or another. But right now, he was so glad that he had her to keep him calm.

                “Thanks, Gems.”

                “No problem.”

                Gemma turned back to the TV and Harry tapped her on the shoulder. She turned, sighing.

                “I … need help choosing what to wear … and working on Louis’ present.”

                Gemma turned off the TV and stood up, stretching and brushing her long hair out of her face. “Alright, let’s get you fit for a Christmas date.”

~

                An hour later, Harry was waiting downstairs at the back entrance to the bar, twisting his beanie in his hands and trying not to be sick. Louis was going to be here any minute. Louis’ present was in his pocket. It had been Gemma’s idea, and Harry had agreed with it at first, but now he was regretting not getting Louis a real present.

                Harry heard the engine of a car and jammed his beanie onto his head, looking up as Louis came around the corner. He had a decent car, for being only 17. _18 now_ , Harry remembered as he walked towards the car and opened the door.

                “Hey, Hazza!” Louis said cheerfully as Harry clambered into the car and closed the door behind him. He was fine. It was going to be fine.

                “Happy birthday, Lou,” he said, smiling and reaching for a hug. He felt stupid immediately, because who could hug properly in a car? But Louis pulled Harry into his arms across the middle section of the front seat, hugging him tightly and smiling, or so Harry figured.

                “Thank you. Now … my mum and sisters will be home, but all we have to do is say hi. I have my gaming system set up in my room and we can basically do whatever you want.”

                Harry nodded, keeping his smile in place, but blind panic was surging through him. Him and Louis, alone in Louis’ room? It was like the universe was asking for Harry to screw this up. He clenched his fists in his lap and shoved that thought away. He could do this.

~

                They drove up to Louis’ house and parked the car. Louis jumped out and pulled Harry’s door open for him, and Harry kept his head down so that Louis wouldn’t see how hard he was blushing. His hand drifted to his pocket, where Louis’ present was, his hand shaking.

                “Well come on, then, Hazza,” Louis said cheerfully, reaching out, and Harry slowly took his hand and allowed Louis to drag him to the front door. Harry looked up at the house. It was a pretty small place, though admittedly a lot bigger than his own home, and it was all decorated for Christmas, lights and greens everywhere he looked. It felt like a real home. Louis unlocked the door and Harry braced himself just in time. The door was barely open when four girls came shrieking down the hallway and attacked them both with hugs.

                “Louis!” they all yelled, and Louis laughed, kissing each of them on the cheek.

                “And you must be Harry! So good to finally meet you, Lou’s been going on and on about you.”

                What seemed to be the oldest one spoke quite plainly and Louis looked down, smiling a little. Harry felt his heart skip a beat, and he nodded, not sure what to say. The girl smiled and hugged him again.

                “I’m Lottie, and this is Fiz, Phoebe, and Daisy. Pleased to meet you.”

                “Likewise,” Harry responded, hugging each of them as they reached for him.

                “Alright, girls, that’s enough. Don’t scare him away now.”

                Harry turned as a woman walked through a doorway, and he knew without a doubt that this was Louis’ mother. She had the same eyes and the same smile, and the way she looked at Harry assured him that she was just as lovely and kind as her son.

                “You must be Harry. I’m Jay, it’s a pleasure to meet you, love.”

                Harry smiled and moved in for a handshake, but Jay pulled him in for a hug, holding him like he was her own child. Harry couldn’t remember a time he had felt more welcomed anywhere.

                Jay let him go and went to hug her son, and then she shooed the girls into the kitchen to help with dinner. “You two can head upstairs if you like, there’s plenty set up in Lou’s room.” She flashed a smile and disappeared into the kitchen. Harry turned to Louis, slightly baffled and embarrassed.

                “I’m so sorry, Hazza, I didn’t know they’d be that … intrusive,” Louis mumbled, looking at the floor, and Harry, without thinking, reached for Louis’ hand, just as he had done at the bar. Louis’ fingers tangled with his at once and he looked up.

                “I loved them. I haven’t felt this accepted in, well, ever. I’m glad you brought me here.”

                Louis smiled his beautiful smile, and Harry just wanted to say screw it to his gift and do what he had planned right in that moment, but he didn’t want to risk it going wrong. Which it probably was going to anyway, but he wanted as much time with Louis as possible before he potentially ruined their friendship.

                Louis kept hold of his hand and lead him upstairs to the last door on the left. Harry stepped through the door and his palms immediately started sweating profusely. He took his hand carefully out of Louis’, not wanting to embarrass himself, and looked around as Louis closed the door behind them.

                Louis’ room was nothing like Harry had expected. He wasn’t sure what he had expected, honestly, but what he was seeing wasn’t it. Louis’ walls were littered with posters of his favorite bands, a guitar stood in a corner, and the rest of the room was relatively clean.

                Louis was sitting on the bed and patted the spot next to him for Harry to sit. Harry sat, feeling his present bend a bit in his pocket as he crossed his legs. Louis handed him a controller and pointed at his enormous selection of games. Harry selected Mario Kart, and Louis grinned.

                “I’m pretty good at this one … are you sure you want to challenge the Tommo?” Louis said in a teasing voice, nudging Harry’s shoulder with his own. Harry tried to ignore his heartbeat picking up and nodded.

                “You haven’t played me yet.”

~

                An hour or so later, Harry shoved Louis off the bed in frustration after losing his tenth game.

                “Oi, what was that for?” Louis yelled dramatically, struggling to disentangle himself from the controller wires.

                “For beating me … again,” Harry retorted, but he was laughing.

                “I warned you I was good at this game. I just didn’t think you’d suck so much.”

                “Heyyyy …”

                Louis clambered to his feet, grinning like a maniac, and shoved Harry back so that both of them tumbled back onto the bed in a tangled mess of limbs. Louis hovered over Harry and Harry froze, staring up at Louis. Harry’s entire body felt like it was heating up as he looked into Louis’ eyes, and he wanted nothing more than for Louis to swoop down and kiss him. As it was, Louis had the strangest look on his face, one that Harry had never seen before. His eyes were wide, and Harry could swear he was getting closer with every passing second.

                “Boys, dinner’s on the table!” Harry heard Louis’ mum call from downstairs, and Louis practically leaped off the bed, fixing his hair and not looking directly at Harry. Harry felt his heart sink … maybe it had just been a trick of the light … or him imagining what he wanted to happen. But doubt was seeding his mind now, and his desire for Louis to just kiss him was becoming more than he could handle.

                “C’mon, Hazza, dinner. And then you can give me my present,” Louis said cheerfully, as though nothing was wrong, and Harry took his outstretched hand to help himself up. His present … god, Louis was going to hate him so much.

~

                Dinner was a very enjoyable affair. Louis and his sisters and mum talked back and forth so easily, and they all included Harry in the conversation whenever they could. Harry laughed and smiled, though he could barely eat anything because of how nervous he was.

                Harry helped with the dishes, even with Jay’s protests, and then went upstairs to where Louis had disappeared to just moments before. He noticed all the pictures on the walls and had to smile to himself. Louis had such a great life, no wonder he was so happy and kind. But even at that minor thought, his smile disappeared. Louis was happy, he had a supportive family, and if he were gay, he’d be able to just tell his mum casually at the dinner table and that would be that. But Harry, his life was complicated. He had a mum who would love him anyway and a step-father that kind of scared him, and he was too much of a coward to come out. Louis would never like a guy like him, not in a million years. Not when he had so many others to choose from.

                He stepped into Louis’ room, his hands fiddling with his pockets as he debated whether or not to just pretend he had forgotten his present for Louis. He couldn’t do this. He cared too much about Louis to lose him this way.

                “Alrighty, Hazza, m’ready. Show me what your brilliant mind cooked up in the last 24 hours.”

                Louis was bouncing up and down as he sat on the bed, looking eager, and Harry wanted to cry. He wanted Louis, he wanted him more than he had ever wanted anyone or anything … but he couldn’t do it. Louis seemed to note his discomfort, because he stopped bouncing and his smile faded slightly.

                “Harry … what’s wrong?”

                “N-nothing, Lou. I just … I’m afraid you won’t like it, that’s all.”

                “You barely ate anything at dinner, and I know my mum makes the best food ever … what’s going on?” Louis asked, reaching for Harry’s hand and pulling him down next to him. Harry rubbed at the back of his neck and bit his lip. He couldn’t do this.

                “I … I, umm …”

                Louis reached out and took his hand, stroking his thumb over Harry’s skin and making Harry tingle all over. “You can tell me anything, Hazza.”

                Harry took a deep breath and put his hand into his pocket, pulling out his present and placing it in Louis’ other hand. Louis looked down at it, confusion etched all over his face.

                “It’s … it’s holly.”

                Louis’ voice was full of confusion, but there was also a hint of curiosity. He glanced up at Harry and then back down at the little sprig in his hand. Harry, feeling as though he was about to be sick, shook his head.

                “That’s a common mistake, actually. See, holly has red berries. This one has white berries.”

                Louis’ brow creased even more and he looked up fully, staring at Harry. Harry could see him starting to put the pieces together, and now was his only chance. Before he could chicken out, he leaned forward and kissed Louis right on the lips.

                Harry felt Louis completely freeze under him and he pulled away, his face a brilliant shade of red and his hands shaking worse than ever. There was no going back now. Slowly, he looked up at Louis, fearing the worst. Louis was staring at him, his lips parted slightly and his eyes blown wider than Harry had ever seen them.

                “I …I’m sorry. It was a stupid idea, I just didn’t know how to tell you, and I know you’re probably not even gay but I just wanted to see what it f-“

                Harry didn’t even get to finish his sentence, because Louis’ hand had wrapped around the back of his neck and gently pulled him in, pressing their lips together once more. Harry felt like his whole world was finally complete as he slowly moved his lips against Louis’. He had never kissed anyone in his life, so he had nothing to compare it to, but he was pretty sure that Louis was the best kisser in the world.

                Harry felt Louis’ tongue on his bottom lip, just barely touching, and he parted his lips, breathing in the smell of pine and nutmeg and Louis. Louis carefully swiped into Harry’s mouth, tasting him, and Harry let out a soft moan, unable to contain himself any longer. Louis whimpered in response, pulling back but not letting Harry go.

                “Harry …” Louis breathed, still looking slightly confused, but his eyes were glazed over in apparent bliss, and Harry was quite sure he didn’t look much better.

                “Lou, I …” Harry said just as softly, reaching his hand up to brush Louis’ fringe out of his eyes. Louis’ eyes closed at his touch and opened slowly, the blue almost completely obscured by his pupil. “I really like you, Lou … I’ve never liked anyone like this before, and I …” Harry couldn’t even find words at this point; Louis was just so breathtakingly beautiful, and Harry just wanted to kiss him some more.

                “Shut up and kiss me,” Louis whispered, and Harry did just that, feeling a little more confident this time as he brushed his lips against Louis’. Louis hummed against his mouth and then started kissing down Harry’s neck, nipping lightly at his skin. Harry felt himself growing hard in his jeans as he tried to contain his noises of pleasure each time he felt Louis’ teeth on his neck.

                “You’re so beautiful, Hazza. So beautiful,” Louis said seriously, looking Harry directly in the eye. Harry blushed and moved forward to kiss Louis again. He couldn’t believe how soft Louis’ lips were.

                “I … I want to do every … everything with you,” Louis mumbled against his lips, and Harry whined, now fully hard and straining against the zipper of his jeans. Louis leaned them both back onto the bed and hesitantly ground his hips down onto Harry’s. Harry moaned aloud, unable to help himself, and Louis smiled a little. “That ok, love?”

                “Y-yeah, Lou, anything, please,” Harry rambled, pulling Louis in for another kiss. Louis ground his hips down again and picked up a slow rhythm. Harry’s hips bucked up slightly, wanting to meet Louis halfway, and Louis appeared to like that, because he kissed Harry harder and dirtier than before, their tongues sliding together.

                “Oh, god, _Lou_ , m’gonna …” Harry mumbled, kind of embarrassed that he wasn’t lasting as long as he should have, but if he was being honest, he’d been half hard for Louis since the day he met him.

                “Me too, Haz … been hard since you … got in my car, I just couldn’t … _shit_ ,” Louis groaned, his hips rotating faster against Harry’s.

                “Louis …” Harry gasped, gripping Louis hard as he felt himself start to come in his jeans. His hips bucked up severely, and Louis’ quiet moan a moment later told Harry that Louis had just come as well.

                Louis rolled off Harry and lay next to him in the semi-darkness, both of them breathing hard. Harry didn’t even want to move, he was so exhausted, but there was a buzz in him, one that wasn’t going away, and Harry knew that it was Louis. Just Louis’ presence, his close proximity to Harry.

                “Harry … that was, without a doubt, the best birthday present I’ve ever gotten in my life,” Louis said finally, rolling over on his side to gaze at Harry. Harry rolled over too, looking at Louis’ flushed but happy face.

                “I’m glad you liked it …” Harry breathed, taking Louis in, and Louis laughed, shaking his head.

                “Mistletoe … you’re a bloody genius, you know?” Louis leaned in and gave Harry a quick peck on the mouth. Harry nestled up next to Louis, putting his head in the curve of his shoulder, and Louis lifted a hand to play with his curls. He twisted them around his fingers and pulled on them, and Harry was about a moment away from purring when there was a knock on the door. Louis sat up, checked to make sure that the drying come in his pants hadn’t made a stain, and went for the door. Harry fixed his hair to what he hoped was a presentable appearance and sat up as well, trying to look like he hadn’t just had the best orgasm of his life.

                “Harry, your mum is here. Says she texted you, but you didn’t answer. She didn’t want you to miss decorating the tree.”

                Harry, who was unaware that his mum had even gotten a tree this year, stood up and smiled as Jay disappeared back down the hallway. Louis turned to Harry and pulled him into a tight hug, nuzzling his neck and placing a kiss there. They pulled back from the hug and Harry leaned up to capture Louis’ lips once more, unable to stop smiling.

                “Happy birthday, Lou … and Merry Christmas, too,” Harry said, rubbing their noses together, and Louis kissed him lightly, a dopey smile on his face.

                “Merry Christmas, Hazza … I’ll see you later, yeah?”

                Harry nodded, hoping that it would be sooner than later. He leaned in for one more kiss, his lips lingering, and then pulled away, his cheeks flushed, and headed downstairs to meet his mum.

                As he climbed into the car, he turned to see Louis standing in the front door, shivering with his lack of a coat, but waiting to wave goodbye. Harry smiled and waved back, finally turning to face his mum.

                “Did you have a good time?” His mum asked, and Harry’s smile widened. He looked back at Louis’ house.

                “Yeah, Mum … the best.”

~

                It was the day after Christmas and Harry couldn’t relax. He couldn’t sleep, he couldn’t eat, he couldn’t do anything. He felt terrible for keeping what happened with Louis a secret from his mum. He just wanted to tell her everything, but he knew that it was bound to go wrong, and it was eating at him. He had resisted texting Louis for two days because he wasn’t sure if Louis regretted what happened or what, but he didn’t want to seem clingy either way.

                Gemma had noticed his distress, and she tried to get him to talk about it, but he couldn’t. He didn’t know if Louis wanted people to know, or if Louis was even out. He didn’t want to be responsible for outing Louis when he couldn’t even out himself.

                Finally, he broke and texted Louis, asking him if he could come over real quick, and Louis responded at once, adding a heart emoji to the end of his text. Harry took that as a good sign and grabbed a taxi to Louis’ house, using some of the money he had hidden under his bed from his chores. Louis was waiting for him in the driveway, and as the taxi drove away, Louis hurried up to him, looking worried.

                “Your text was so vague, Hazza, is everything ok?”

                Harry nodded, knowing that the moment he opened his mouth, he’d probably start crying, and he didn’t want that. Louis took his hand without asking (though Harry wasn’t complaining – Louis holding his hand made him feel more grounded, for some reason) and led him into the house and up to his bedroom. He closed the door and turned to face Harry. Harry wanted to just kiss Louis and forget about all this, but he had to tell someone, and Louis was whom he trusted most at the moment.

                “So … what’s up, Hazza?” Louis asked, sitting down on the bed, but Harry didn’t sit next to him. He figured it would be best if he stood, just to try to keep his composure.

                “I, Umm… I don’t know how to …” He took a deep breath and continued. “I’m not out.”

                Louis just looked at him for a moment and then nodded, gesturing for Harry to go on.

                “Louis, I really like you. And I don’t regret a thing we’ve done. I just hate keeping us, whatever it is we are, a secret, especially from my mum. But I don’t know how to tell her. I’m … I’m afraid. And I don’t want you to think that I’m not proud of you, because I am. How could I not be, you’re freaking perfect. I just don’t know how, and I don’t even know if you’re out, and I don’t want to screw things up because I really care about you.”

                Louis pondered for a moment, and then stood up, pulling Harry into a hug. The tears that Harry had been holding back spilled over onto his cheeks and he held on to Louis, sobbing silently into his shoulder. Louis rubbed his back and whispered kind words in his ear until he had calmed down considerably, and they both sat down on the floor, leaning back against the bed.

                “First of all, Harry, I like you too. A lot. A lot more than I’ve ever liked anyone. And you not being out doesn’t change that for me.”

                Harry smiled weakly, and Louis kissed his knuckles, continuing.

                “I am out, well, to my family at least, and I know that they’d love it if I told them you meant something to me, but I won’t do it if you’re not comfortable with it. And I know how scary it is to come out. You think that your family won’t love you, that you’ll be an outcast, but the truth of it is that in the end, they’re your family, and if I know anything, it’s that your mum will most definitely understand. She loves you more than anything.”

                “How … how do you know that?” Harry sniffed, trying to stop himself from crying all over again.

                Louis smiled. “She and I have talked. She’s usually downstairs during my shifts, and surprise surprise, I like to talk. She never stops talking about you, how proud she is. If it’s Wayne you’re worried about, I can understand that, but it can be just her at first, if you want. I’ll even come with you.”

                Harry looked up into Louis’ blue eyes, seeing nothing but sincerity, and he almost started crying again. “You – You’d do that?”

                “Yeah, of course I would. It’s easier to have someone with you. But that’s only if you feel comfortable. We can talk to her whenever you feel ready.”

                Harry sighed, the weight that had been on his chest when he arrived considerably lightened. He should have known that Louis would be so amazing about it.

                “I … I want to tell her as soon as possible, I just am not sure how?”

                “Well, we can make out for her, if you’d like,” Louis said jokingly, and Harry laughed, the thought of that not as scary as it had been an hour ago.

                “We can maybe do it tonight?” Harry suggested, biting his lip, and Louis nodded.

                “I’ve got to work tonight anyway, so I’ll be there. We can tell her after my shift.”

                Harry smiled and Louis returned the smile, leaning in and kissing Harry’s cheek, right on the dimple.

                “You’re wonderful, you know that?” Harry whispered against his lips, feeling more alive than ever as his lips brushed against Louis’.

                “Not as wonderful as you, Curly,” Louis responded, kissing him once more.

~

                Louis drove Harry back to the bar and Harry hurried upstairs to fetch his book, making sure that no one was watching before he snuck back downstairs and settled in his usual spot under the counter. Now that he had finally made the move and kissed Louis, and Louis had kissed him back and most definitely liked him, it was hard not to touch him every time he passed. Harry wanted to have his hands on Louis at every opportunity, because when he did, he felt more alive than he ever had. When Louis was holding his hand, he didn’t feel like the awkward, 15-year-old boy he was. He felt important, needed.

                He managed to get through the whole shift without grabbing Louis’ ass, but it was a hard thing. Louis got distracted more often than before, stopping to talk to Harry and messing up his drinks more than once, but his smile never left his face, and Harry’s cheeks were starting to hurt with how hard he was smiling back.

                Finally, or too soon, Harry wasn’t sure, Louis’ shift was over, and Harry clambered out from under the counter, standing to help Louis dry the now clean glasses.

                “You ready, Hazza?” Louis asked quietly, hip checking him, and Harry nudged him back, trying to smile, but it wasn’t working. He was, admittedly, terrified, and his hands started shaking so badly that he almost dropped a glass. Louis caught it and put it down, taking both of Harry’s hands in his own. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. This is your choice. I don’t mind keeping whatever we decide to be a secret, if that’s what you want. I just want you to be happy.”

                Harry blushed and pecked Louis on the cheek. “You make me happy, Lou. And I want to be honest about my happiness.”

                Louis nodded and looked towards the stairs. Harry took a deep breath and then led Louis over to them, still holding his hand. Louis’ hand was comfortable in his, and it made him slightly more confident and sure about what he was about to do.

                Harry pushed open the door and was relieved to see that Gemma and his mum were the only two in the apartment. They were reading quietly at the table, and Harry had to clear his throat several times before they looked up.

                “Hi, Harry, love. Oh, and Louis, how nice to see you,” Anne said cheerfully, and Harry looked up at Louis apprehensively. Louis gave him an encouraging smile and took a step back, his hand sliding out of Harry’s. Suddenly, Harry felt terribly alone, and he opened his mouth, nothing coming out. He breathed in carefully. He could do this.

                “Mum, I … I have something I want to tell you.”

                His mum watched him curiously, but Gemma’s eyes went wide, which didn’t really help Harry’s nerves.

                “You know you can tell me anything, Harry, what’s going on, darling?”

                “I … umm, I don’t really know how to tell you. It’s kind of … delicate? I just-” Harry bit his lip, his worst fears being voiced before he could stop himself, “I don’t want you to not love me anymore.”

                His mum stood up, her face the picture of worry. She hurried over to Harry and put her hands on his shoulders. “Harry, honey, that won’t ever happen. I love you no matter what.”

                Harry smiled, but it was a weak smile as tears filled his eyes. He wasn’t even sure if the tears were in gratitude to his mom or in fear of what he was about to say.

                “Mum, I’m gay.”

                He said it before he could back out of it, and his mum took a step back, a mixture of emotions on her face. Harry, fearing the worst, felt a tear slide down his face and he twisted his hands together, not knowing where to go from here.

                “That’s what you wanted to tell me? Oh, Harry, I thought you were hurt or you broke something down in the bar!”

                “W-what? You … already know?”

                Harry glared at Gemma, but Gemma shrugged and shook her head, indicating that she hadn’t said a word.

                “Of course I know, darling. I’ve known for a while now. I don’t care who you love as long as they make you happy,” his mum said sincerely, pulling Harry in for a hug, and Harry felt like a dam had been broken as he broke down in his mother’s arms. It was a while before he remembered that he wasn’t finished.

                “Oh, oh, Mum, there’s more,” Harry sniffed, pulling away and reaching for Louis, who gladly moved forward and took his hand, tangling their fingers together. “This is Louis, he’s my … boyfriend.”

                “Boyfriend?” Louis whispered, an expression of absolute joy on his face, and Harry nodded, smiling.

                “Boyfriend, yes. Louis and I are dating.”

                His mum stood, surveying Louis for a moment, and then pulled him into a rib-cracking hug. Louis gasped, but he was smiling, and he didn’t once let go of Harry’s hand.

                “Oh, Harry, I’m so happy for you, baby,” his mum said after she had released Louis, and Harry let out a small choked laugh, looking up at Louis. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have such an amazing mum and an amazing boyfriend. His mum fussed about, picking things up and clearing them away. “Well, we’ll leave you two alone then, won’t we, Gem?”

                Harry blushed horribly as Gemma smirked, but both of them went into the main room and settled on the couch, and Harry led Louis back to his room. As soon as the door was closed, Louis was kissing him. It wasn’t a passionate, get naked now kiss, but one of pure happiness and enthusiasm. Louis even lifted Harry off his feet, but Harry was too lost in Louis to notice it too much. He just wanted as much of Louis’ lips as he could get.

                “You’re serious? You want me to be your boyfriend?” Louis asked finally, looking at Harry with a hopeful expression, and Harry nodded.

                “Yeah, I … I really do, Lou. Will you?”

                “Of fucking course!” Louis nearly yelled, kissing Harry several times in quick succession. Harry leaned their foreheads together and took a moment to revel in Louis’ eyes, because now there was something new in them, something that Harry hadn’t seen before: his eyes were sparkling. And Harry had never seen anything more beautiful.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave Kudos and Comments if you wish! Lots of love!


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